Cow grower, acceptable alternative?

[Secuono]

So I went to TSC, since the local feed store is closed on Sundays, and rabbit feed went up. Bag I always buy, regular sticker now says $16 and they added a sales sticker for $14. 14 was the old price...ugh!!! All the cheaper rabbit feeds were sold out, just the $18 and more bags were still there.
I hate TSC, they always run out of everything, always.

As I sadly dragged my $18 bag, I noticed Cow Grower at just $13!! Calf grower was sold out, lots of things were, actually. It say's it's a supplemental pellet for pastured and growing cattle. I thought, rabbits eat pasture and mine live on it, so why not??

Read the bag; processed grains was first, there was forage as another ingredient and some other things like salt and molasses. While the rabbit feed was full of alfalfa hay and other things that were not grain nor forage.

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbits need a good source of protein and that is where the alfalfa comes in. If the first ingredients in the cow grower are grains, it might not have enough protein. Was there a nutritional breakdown as well as an ingredients label?

 

[MKirst]

There's a difference between calf/bull growers and cow/heifer growers. The cow and heifer growers are most likely to produce milk and the calf and bull growers for meat. I would think. That's how it is in my area.

 

[Secuono]

I'm only trying to supplement. Here is sweet feed info and the cow feed info.
I am using the sweet feed for the birds, mix corn with it.


All-Stock 12% Sweet Feed
For mature cattle, sheep and goats on pasture.

Ingredients-
Processed grain by-products, Roughage products, Calcium carbonate, Molasses products, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Manganous Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Molybdate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite.

Analysis-
Protein 12%
Fat 2.5%
Fiber 18%
Calcium min/max, 1.5/2%
Phosphorus 0.4%
Salt min/max, 1.5/2%
Selenium 0.1 PPM
Zinc 60 PPM
Vit A 2000 IU/LB


Stocker/Grower Supreme 14N
Supplement feed for beef cattle on pasture, creep feed for nursing beef calves.

Ingredients-
Processed grain by-products, Molasses products, Calcium carbonate, Roughage products, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Chloride, Sodium Selenite.

Analysis-
Protein 14%
Fat 2.5%
Fiber 10%
Calcium min/max, 1.75/2.255
Phosphorus 0.5%
Salt min/max, 0.75/1.25%
Potassium 0.7%
Selenium 0.3 PPM
Vit A 10000 UI/LB

 

[Piper]

I am interested in sweet feed, too. The one I saw, said a mix of grains and pellets.

 

[skysthelimit]

Gosh, I got excited that I might be able to cut the feed with something, then found out that my TSC does not sell cow grower. We are not rural enough

 

[Secuono]

They should be able to order it in.

 

[ZRabbits]

They should be able to order it in.

Agree, the TSC we have is NOT in rural and have had pleasant people there tell me that they could order anything if requested. Just ask, doesn't hurt.

Karen

 

[skysthelimit]

They should be able to order it in.

Agree, the TSC we have is NOT in rural and have had pleasant people there tell me that they could order anything if requested. Just ask, doesn't hurt.

Karen

Cool. I will definitely ask. Feed bill is starting to get close to $100, with not enough bunny income to offset it. I need some alternatives.

 

[Secuono]

....So...are any of these acceptable alternatives???...

Btw, the cow pellets are huge! You might have to starve your rabbits off pellets for several days before they accept these big pellets.<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 21, 2012 2:00 pm __________<br /><br />I'm going to go with 'yes, it's an acceptable alternative.'
=p

 

[MamaSheepdog]

lol...

of the two, I would probably go with AllStock. The molasses is lower in the ingredients. It puts weight on horses really well, so don't let your pudgy pony get near it!

 

[MaggieJ]

CnB, you say you plan to use this as a supplement only. Supplement to what? Where is the protein coming from?

 

[akane]

Poorly detailed crappy ingredients and too high in molasses. The rabbits will not digest this as well as cows by a long shot and they may develop serious diarrhea from the high molasses content. As a general rule stay away from cattle feeds for other animals. They are rather unique and hardier than most livestock. Goat, llama, and horse feeds are better options but you still have to be careful of the ingredients in some (no sweet feed) and you will need a good protein source like lots of alfalfa hay.

 

[Secuono]

Their main food comes from what's under their feet.

That's strange, I believe it was on this forum that someone said calf feed was a fair trade for rabbit feed.
If that's not true, then what animal is closest? Sheep, horses?
If I should be looking at other animals; baby feed, pregnant feeds?

I always hear about the alfalfa hay, what if I supplement with just horse alfalfa pellets?

My rabbits will not eat grains, they waste it completely and then the birds come around and clean up everything that's left after the dumping when the pen moves.

In the end, I want to stay $14 or under, since my rabbit feed was $14 and now jumped to $16+.
HayStretcher, $15, high-fiber pellet, Crude Protein (min.) 12.00%, Crude Fat (min.) 1.50%, Crude Fiber (max.) 32.00%, Calcium (Ca) (min.) .50%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) .90%, Phosphorus (P) (min.) .25.

Well, alfalfa pellets are $16-20...too much.

 

[MaggieJ]

It's difficult, isn't it? You seem to be in a part of the country that makes it hard to feed rabbits economically. Can you grow alfalfa? That would definitely help.

 

[Secuono]

They don't like hay, that's the issue. And out on grass, only pellets get eaten, hay gets stomped on or just ignored.

I can't find any seeds in less than 50lbs and $100 or more, just not worth it. I'm too poor for that risk.

 

[MaggieJ]

Are you sure? I can buy alfalfa seed by the pound at the local feed store. Also red clover seed, timothy etc. etc. We planted a nice patch in 2002 and it has lasted well. It's dwindled this past year and we need to reseed, but it is still worthwhile doing this.

You might try online sources of seed. There must be smaller quantities available. Keep looking and don't give up.

 

[akane]

I'd say you probably need better hay. Mine looooooove hay. They will eat hay over pellets. They have rich, green, thick stemmed, sweet, organic clover hay though. When we've had to buy lower quality hay most of it even if green got tossed aside for pellet begging and everyone lost condition. Finding good hay took us over a year of calling people off craigslist and by word of mouth pretty much weekly to inspect hay. If you can't get better hay you'll have to put the money in to high protein rabbit pellets or use soy products. You can get some soft "mineral" blocks that have grains including soy in them that make something like 23% protein and the rabbits love them.

 

[Piper]

I can't find any seeds in less than 50lbs and $100 or more, just not worth it. I'm too poor for that risk.

I found out about "Grain Storage" places, silos. He was willing to sell me 50lbs of wheat for $20, min 200lbs to get that price. I figure I am going to have to learn how to sprout, to make it worth while. Barley in this area, I have not found it yet!

 

[Secuono]

$33 for a 50-60# alfalfa hay grown in Montana.
My horse hay was $5-6 a bale, "Horse hay, mixed grasses." What ever that means...

There's "goat/cow" hay for $2 square bale. No idea what is in there.